Unit_Cyp3.3

UNIT 3.3 SAFEGUARDING THE WELL-BEING OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE How the legislation, guidelines, policies and procedures affect the safeguarding of children and young people. This is put into place in schools to promote equality and to eliminate discrimination. There are two main categories covering child protection : Civil and Criminal Law. Civil law is split to Public and Private law. Public Law sets rules and puts procedures into place to minimise abuse and what should be done if a child is at risk. Private Law deals with divorce and contact with families Criminal Law deals with people that have or are at risk of offending children. When working with children we are in a position of honesty ,trust and responsibility. Children need to feel safe and secure and free from harm and abuse. They need to feel this for them to reach their full potential through childhood to adulthood. Safeguarding and promoting welfare of children and protecting them from harm is done by lots of professionals and agencies all working together from all different backgrounds with different levels of expertise. By respecting the knowledge of other professionals we can get the best outcome for the child. The safety of the child is very important, whilst listening without judging, both to the child and their family keeping professional as proof has to be found in accusations made. All specific needs will be met, considered and applied if and where possible. Keeping respect at all times for cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Every school will have a designated CPO (child protection officer ) this is usually the headteacher.The CPO is responsible for the child protection and the liason with other agencies. The school has the safeguarding policy which has all the procedures to follow should the matter arise. All staff will be familiar with this policy. When dealing with an incident always listen without interruption to the child, making sure not to put words or ideas into their head. Remaining calm and non judgemental will put the child at ease thus encouraging them to open up. If possible record dates, times and incidents and report to CPO as soon as possible but remaining calm so not to distress the child. In school everyday we remain vigilant and alert of our surroundings. Watching body language tells us a lot as to whether a child is withdrawn , or whether they are touching themselves or others in an inappropriate manor which is unacceptable. Lack of food, dirty soiled clothing is another sign. Confidentiality is very important, parental consent is needed for photographic purposes. Information should not be passed on to other children in school, parents, visitors and other professionals unless authorisation has been given. Parents must be kept informed at all times. A child who is bullying is explained to that it’s unacceptable behaviour, also offering re-assurance to the child who has been bullied. The child who has bullied is spoken to and made to try and understand his/her actions and the impact they have had on the bullied child. Discussions with the parents of the bullying child are held and discussed on how we are going to address the situation. Also conversing with the bullied child’s parents offering re-assurance and support, explaining that the bullying child is being dealt with in the appropriate manor and being helped to show more acceptable ways of behaviour. All children need to learn how to protect themselves, but at the same time they need to learn by finding things out for themselves. As long as there is no chance of any significant harm. They need to be taught and to learn the importance of protecting themselves, learning that not all strangers are nice and approachable people. But at the same time not being petrified by every stranger they encounter. Explaining to a child that majority of people care about children but a small minority will try and hurt a child is very important for the safety aspect of child development. Learning by routine is good for children for example ‘The Green Cross Code’ this teaches the children about road safety and how to cross without getting knocked over by a vehicle. Always enforcing that young children should hold an adults hand whilst crossing the road. How we explain should be appropriate for the stage/age of the child, certain words would not be suitable for a 5 year old as they would a 16 year old. Also being aware that we refer to certain words about the body parts depending what age the child is. Stressing what is allowed and acceptable/ what’s not allowed can be simplified with pictures for the younger children. Making sure children understand that kisses and cuddles are perfectly normal within close family /friends but should never be made to feel they have to keep it a ‘secret’. Letting them realise their body is their own and belongs to no-one else, and if someone tries to touch them in a way they don’t like that they should tell someone and not keep it secret. Explaining to children about the safety aspect of not talking to strangers, but carefully reminding them not to be rude, unless the stranger tries to harm them they should try and get away to the nearest shop/person and shout for help. It is acceptable for a child to shout out loud for help if someone hurts them. Children should never keep secrets if someone is touching or bullying them in any way or form that they don’t like, and encourage them to always tell another adult. Explaining that if someone tries to bribe or promises to buy them things in return for uncomfortable acts they are entitled to say ‘no’. Most of all they must learn that they can and are allowed to say ‘no’. Children need to be empowered to keep themselves safe. It is perfectly natural for children to push and test the boundaries to the maximum. As adults it’s up to us to manage those boundaries without taking away their independence. We first of all have to teach, support and trust them to encourage that independence. This eventually leads to them thinking and making their own choices. An example of this is ‘The Green Cross Code’. By explaining what this is and means we would firstly hold the child’s hand whilst crossing the road always explaining about how important it is to look both ways and listen. Next stage would be crossing the road without holding the child’s hand giving them the independence. In time this builds their confidence to them crossing unsupervised by an adult. This enables them to keep safe, boost self confidence, self esteem and gives them responsibility. Children’s Act 1989 : the school have to refer the children and provide information to the police of any criminal proceedings that may take place under child protection issues. Data Protection Act 1998 : Responsible organisations hold personal information to be used if only necessary and needed. This always has to be kept in a safe place, and importantly kept up to date. Every Child Matters 2004: ( Childrens Act) The outcomes : * Be healthy * Stay safe * Enjoy and Achieve * Make a positive contribution * Economic well-being One of the new laws was physical punishment, making it an offence to hit a child if it leaves a mark on their skin or causes mental harm. The Human Rights Act 1989: This doesn’t specifically mention children’s rights but in the eyes of the law this covers some of them: * Every child has the right to an education * Freedom from torture * The right to life * The right to liberty * Freedom from slavery These are the rights to everyday living, in what you can say/do and your beliefs. The Education act 2002: These include the School Governing Bodies, Local Education Authorities and Further Education settings to sort safeguarding and promote child welfare. Social Services : To provide support for children and families. Health Visitor: These are one of the first to detect any abuse. Health visitors work closely with children 0-5yrs and their families offering support and monitoring progress of growth and running development tests intermittently. They have contact with a vast amount of agencies and support The Local Safeguarding Childrens Board (LSCB). General Practitioners (G.P) Make referrals if they suspect any abnormal going ons and maintain skills if a child is being abused /neglected. NSPCC: To provide support in situations like domestic abuse, they work closely with other organisations such as Social Services, the Police, Education and Health Services. The Boarders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009: Places a duty of The UK Border Agency to safeguard and promote child welfare. The Legislation to protect children from adults who are potential risks are : The Offenders Act 1997: More commonly known as ‘The Sex Offenders Register’ and anyone on this have to notify the police of any change of name or address. The Sexual Offences Act 2003: This includes grooming, abuse or taking advantage of a trustworthy position, trafficking and also covers offences commited by UK residents whilst they are abroad. Probation Officer: To supervise and support offenders not to re offend and protect them from harm. Liase with agencies e.g safeguarding children, procedures covering offenders and domestic abuse. Police: To protect all individuals and prevent crime. They investigate child abuse cases and have specialist training in this area. They have access to information which is accurate and this includes child protection, crime and violence. They gather the evidence and work closely with other agencies. The Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004: It is an offence to cause or allow the death of a vulnerable adult or child. Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006: This allows the vetting of staff and the barring of those who are unsuitable to work with children. The Forced Marriage Act 2007: To protect victims of forced marriage and to help and advise terminate this. The Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008: Adults who commit sex offences on children abroad are able to face prosecution in the UK. The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) provides a way for early intervention for children before it reaches crisis point. It is a shared assessment and planning framework for all communication, and that information is shared between different professionals and organisations. The assessment framework centres on child safeguarding and promoting welfare. Team Around the Child: A TAC is a team of practitioners established on a case-by-case basis to support a child/family. TAC supports certain elements of professional practice: working, information sharing, and early intervention. It usually involves : * A CAF – joined up assessment * A lead professional to co-ordinate work * The child/family involved * A multi agency team that will change accordingly to the childs needs * A support plan to meet the needs of the child * Regular meetings to which the child/family are invited to attend School: The staff are to create and maintain a safe learning environment. They are trained to take any relevant action should they identify any concerns. Regular courses are attended on child protection and first aid. Be vigilant and teach children about the safety of harm, abuse including bullying and cyber bullying. Help promote good healthy habits and educational needs. Every school has a designated CPO (Child Protection Officer) they will be in contact with agencies to support the child/family and attend conferences. Hold all the relevant policies/procedures e.g : child protection, physical contact, safeguarding, risk assessments, outings, injuries and illness. When working with children all staff should be CRB checked. This is to ensure that the background of the individual is safe and not a criminal. By having a visitors book we can record times, dates and monitor who is on the premises. Keeping a register in the morning and afternoon we monitor the children who are at school. Also routine for a parent to ring the school if a child is absent, otherwise if no call is made to school we then contact the parents to say their child is not on school premises. When working with children we have a duty and responsibility to promote and keep them as safe as possible. To do this we carry out risk assessments to prevent unnecessary accidents. In our care we ensure they are kept away from danger and the resources they work with are safe, clean and have all the relevant safety marks. Also teaching the children that crime and bullying is unacceptable and wrong and no-one should, or have to put up with it. In the process we are always encouraging children to speak up to an adult should they have any concerns. Being honest and trustworthy promotes their welfare in a healthy and safe environment. All children should learn to consider the views and feelings, the needs and rights of others. They have to learn the impact that their behaviour has on other people, places and objects. As adults we help the children develop these skills with constant praise, encouragement and support, always concentrating on the positive more so than the negative. This enables us to teach them and set a good example as a role model. Adults need to have an understanding of the signs and symptons of abuse, these may be both physical and behavioural changes. There are four main types of abuse: Physical, Emotional, Neglect, Sexual. * Physical : Usually easily to spot due to visible signs such as bruising, cuts, and burns. Less obvious signs may be the backing off of physical contact, embarrassed to get changed in front of others for p.e, and wanting to keep arms and legs covered even in hot weather. Child shows fear of wanting to go home. They may show signs of self-destructiveness and try and run away from home. * Emotional : Continual put downs and having no confidence. Constantly being criticised and not being shown any love or affection. Name calling, teasing and constant humiliation whether it’s done on a social networking site, through a mobile phone or verbally. The child will be shown to be withdrawn and lacks all confidence. Lack of concentration when working and having low self esteem and a feeling of worthlessness. Not wanting to go to school. All these factors will cause the child to not want to go out in public. * Neglect: Lack of clean clothes and bad personal hygiene will be visible to the eye. The child will look dirty and appear to be hungry constantly. Due to this it leads them to be and feel tired due to no energy thus making them show no interest and hard to concentrate on what’s going off around them. This can cause them to be accidental and clumsy , may result in them not wanting to get an injury treated. Children are often left alone at home .This is down to the carelessness of the parents/carers. * Sexual: A child may be being touched inappropriately by an adult, also forcing them to perform sexual acts against their will. Being photographed against their will also. This may lead to the child touching themselves or others in an unacceptable manor. This type of abuse may lead to the child having genital irritation and the changes of behaviour may result in the child having a lack of trust towards an adult. Children are often secretive as they don’t trust easily. Infants: may rock back and forth or bang their head purposely, this is self stimulation and lack of social responsiveness. Pre School : emotional abuse can impact on language development leaving the child mute. Behavioural problems are common and concentration will be slack. Children may show aggressiveness towards others. School age: learning difficulties become apparent with poor concentration. Children may have low self esteem which leads to poor social interaction, other behaviour may be repetitive rocking and self harming. In school surroundings it’s important as adults we don’t put ourselves in an awkward situation even though it’s done in all innocence. Through our own body language a child can easily mis-interpret what is meant. Always being careful not to put ourselves in that situation we can make sure all doors are kept open, verbally explaining to the child what is expected of them, and good communication skills with other members of staff as well as the class teacher is adequate enough to stay safe. We do this by staying familiar with school policies and procedures and following them at all times. This is why it’s important they are up to date and kept in a safe place . You should always make sure you are up to date and understand the procedures of every policy so you can always follow them. In the workplace you can always protect yourself by: * Should a parent/carer turn up late always make sure a member of staff is with you if you’re alone with a child. * The school register is always up to date. * If an accident or incident occurs always try and get a witness to sign. Offsite visits you protect yourself by : * Following the policies and procedures. * Carry out a thorough risk assessment, thinking of age/stages of children , when/where and how you’re getting to the venue, always having the child’s safety a priority. * Get parental consent. * The insurance cover is appropriate. * Staff ratio is correct with current guidelines. * Take emergency contact numbers, first aid box incase of accidents or emergencies. In every workplace there should be policies and procedures on whistleblowing. This is to provide protection against a person in a workplace against victimisation, whether physical or verbal if their concerns are genuine. If ever you suffer this due to whistleblowing you may be able to take your case to a tribunal. Any other concerns about mis-conduct that happens in your workplace should immediately be reported to a higher member of staff. Information should always be confidential. A whistleblower is a person who disclosures wrong doing that can threaten others, rather than a complaint about their own treatment. The following should be followed if ever the matter arises: * All staff should act professionally if they suspect mis-conduct or bad practice in the workplace. * The whistleblower should really think long and hard what is bothering them and why. * If they are still worried they should report to the headteacher. * Keep records of your concerns e.g dates, names, details, times. * Whilst this is investigated both parties will be kept informed and an appropriate time limit will be given on how long the investigation should last. * Through these procedures you should be re-assured and supported. * Both sides will be asked for their version of events. * All information given by both sides is kept confidential (Data Protection Act ). * Should the situation not be resolved without naming people a discussion will take place of the next best move to make. If your concerns are ignored you would seek higher advice from Ofsted for example. If you lose your job or suffer because of whistleblowing you are protected by law ( The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998) this is to protect whistleblowers and covers any offence commited e.g A miscarriage of justice, danger to health/safety or an individual, or any deliberate information passed on. The roll of the whistleblower is to report to mis-conduct, not to deal or investigate it themselves. Protection of the accused: * They will be assessed whether they are protected dependant on the accusations investigated. * They will be informed of how serious the allegations made and provide supporting evidence. * All procedures will be put in writing to the accused. * They will be given an opportunity to attend a meeting to put their defence forward, with an accompanying trade union rep or colleague if they desire. They will be provided with support in order to get back to normal working relationships as soon as possible. Whistleblowers are protected for public interests to encourage people to speak out if bad goings on are happening in the workplace. The risks of possible consequences for children and young people of being online and using mobile phones is down to security. If settings aren’t in place properly children may be exposed to inappropriate material e.g: pornographic, violent and dangerous activities. A criminal minority will use the internet and chatrooms to groom young children with the hope of developing relationships which would lead to sexual activity. It’s a haven for paedophiles who pose as children and learn about the interests and music etc that interest other children, this is the trap they use to lure them into trusting them. Cyber bullying can be done through the internet or by a mobile phone. This can be done anonymously, the mail they receive can be disturbing, leaving the child feeling embarrassed, upset and scared. This can cause low self esteem and lack of confidence. Also the buying and selling of illegal items or stolen items. The ease of accessing sites to buy weapons and recipes for drugs making, are becoming more rife in todays society. Social Networking: * Use the control systems already built into windows 7 or download it free from family safety settings. * Explain to children about hackers and how important it is not to talk to strangers or arrange to meet them. * Restrict social sites so they can only access what is safe and appropriate for their age. * Monitor and check the sites they go on so you can read the conversations going on. * Always take an interest in what your child is doing. Internet use: * Block sites that are inappropriate. * Block them sending any personal information. * Limit their time on the internet. * Always encourage children to be vigilant whilst on the internet. * Schools should have an acceptable use policy in place (Ofsted check this). Buying online : * Using firewall on a computer reduces risks of a hacker stealing any identity. * Always use a secure payment system e.g paypal, this is done by a password. Stops your debit/credit card being used without authorisation. Using a mobile phone: * If they have a top of the range phone they are more likely to be a victim of attack than a cheap pay as you go phone. A cheap phone will minimise this and is safer to use at school or at clubs. * Encouraging land line use or texting is safer and has less health risks according to statistics.